Weavers Second Heart (Snippet)
by Major Jmsn
Summary: A story of Taylor regaining her crown as a queen of the underworld. (Warning, contains Worm spoilers.)
1. Chapter 1

*Authors note*

This is very much a '1st draft' of an idea I had and ran with. Version 2 is better but still has a long way to go before I post it anywhere.

*AN end*

I awoke with a groan.

_OW._

I must have landed face first. _So my costume doesn't protect against cold, hard floors, good to know._ Despite the aches in my arms I rolled over and sat up, still in one piece at least. _Where am I?_ I tried looking around for _any_ source of light. Nope. Pitch black. I felt out with my power only to find nothing but earthworms and handful of spiders and flies which were sharing whatever complex I was in. I brought the flies to me. _Now then, what is that nearest spider clung to?_

A dozen flies landed next to the spider and I could make out the shape of a metal cone. _On the wall? Torch?_ I gingerly pushed myself up and walked over. A grand total of 27 flies and 5 spiders not counting the bugs in my flight pack, _some swarm,_ but it's enough to feel my way round. As I walked I got a sense of the room, _if I ball-parked?_ It would probably be about a 30 foot square and empty. There were eight torches in pairs flanking an entranceway in each wall and the large stone circle on the floor about a foot thick below a domed ceiling. I removed the torch out of its holder and pulled out my box of matches and tissues. Crouching with the torch between my knees I lit a match igniting the tissue I'd packed into the top of the torch which promptly exploded with light.

I stood torch in hand trying to blink the stars from my eyes and saw a red trickle on the right lens of my mask. _So that's what stings?_ I applied pressure to my forehead with my free hand and stepped onto the round stone slab. The torchlight let me see the engravings which I had felt. The first things that came to mind was _Medieval_ and _creepy_. At the centre was a circle surrounded by a triangle with curved sides facing inwards surrounded by three small stepped pyramids. Further out was a mosaic of faces which ranged from human to demonic, horns and all, to the _esoteric. _Around the edge was text.

_"__CREATURES OF THE UNDERWORLD AND GREAT POWER SHALL BE YOURS TO COMMAND WITH A DROP OF LIFEBLOOD SHOULD YOU DESIRE – VIRKJA DỲFLISSU HJARTA"_

"Huh" _is this some kind of temple to dark gods? Mmm, probably better to look around before I decide to mutter things in an unknown language._

I glanced at the torch. _Odd._ The flames where hovering a few inches above the opening letting me see inside. _Empty? It wasn't before, what's burning?_

_Mmm, which corridor do I explore first?_

I shrugged and walked to the torches partner and lit it averting my eyes. A short trip down the corridor led me to a dead end and a room about as big as the first one. I lit all the torches I could find as I scoped the place.

Ten minutes later I was back looking at the stone disc. The hallways in front and behind me led to dead end rooms, to my right was a T-junction with two same sized rooms and my left was a cross road, two more rooms either side, straight on led to a collapsed roof. I had sent flies between the rubble only to find packed earth. While worms confirmed the tunnel continued well beyond my powers range, I doubted I could dig through the cave in.

I glanced back to the bass relief figures decorating the walls that left me feeling uncomfortable. Nude women in various suggestive poses, pairs with limbs entwined in an embrace, arms stretched above their head to 'hold up' the ceiling or 'holding' the torch mountings. _I bet Alec would love this place._

_How did I end up 'here' anyway?_ The last thing I remember was leaping off the oilrig to escape Scions attack and the feeling of my legs disintegrating which was decidedly disturbing, then splashing in the sea. _Am I dead? This could be Hell, or at least the waiting room?_

_I wonder? "_Door-maker, Earth Gimel."

My echo faded. _Nope, it was worth a try. _

I stared at the small pool of congealed blood where my head landed.

_Well Taylor, want to try your hand at an incantation?_


	2. Chapter 2

I was stuck there with nothing to loose and I'd already done things which left me feeling monstrous, add in _Skitter evil overlord. What can go wrong?_

I stepped into the central circle. _Veer-kya die-flis-soo hy-arta? Seems simple enough._

"Virkja dyflissu hjarta"

I was answered by thump from below which was loud enough to shake the stone slab. The torches flickered off for a second. _Success?_ My mind went blank as I found myself weightless, floating two feet up. _Flight pack! Come on…Nope, useless._ There was a sharp pain in my chest like a stab to the heart which coincided with another thump. The pain intensified on the third a second later and I blacked out.

I awoke face down on the floor to the rumble of _was that a heartbeat?_

"Ugh" _Twice? I hope this doesn't become a habit._

I pushed myself off the piece of rather uncomfortable masonry I lay on. I adjusted my mask which had shifted to reveal my forehead and looked around immediately spotting the round pit that was topped by three arches. Under each arch were three steps protruding out over the hole. What caught my attention was the swirling green flame hovering between the arches. I cautiously stepped closer to look beneath and saw a large fleshy membrane that was cast in a sickly colour by the green light.

_Dungeon Heart? What? How do I know that?_

My pulse quickened which was matched perfectly by the beating from below.

_Need to calm down._

I closed my eyes and felt out with my power and found my _meagre_ swarm was joined by an awareness of the 'dungeon' and the surrounding geography. My mental image clarified and I found myself looking at _myself_ from above and behind. _Creepy._ My vision shifted towards a pattering sound coming from one of the rooms and found a humanoid creature about 3 feet tall with brown-green skin. it was carrying a pickaxe with a sack slung over its back.

_Imp, dungeon workforce._

_Is this what Tattletale's power is like, instant knowledge? She described something similar._

I was startled by a poke to my thigh and quickly identified the culprit an imp was staring up at me. It backed away as if he could tell I was annoyed. It reminded me of the typical 'little grey alien' in appearance except with a pair of pointy ears stuck on the sides of its head.

*AN*

And this is as far as I got. If you like the premise let me know.


End file.
